CLT Category Salary Floor Comparator

How the category floor salary works

In Brazil the wage floor is built in three layers. The federal minimum wage (R$ 1,412 in 2024, R$ 1,518 in 2025) sets the absolute floor for any CLT contract. On top of that, some states publish a higher state floor grouped by occupation. And the collective bargaining agreement (CCT) for each category can push the number higher still. What the calculator does is line up the offered salary against the category floor and tell you whether it passes. Take a junior security guard offered R$ 1,650 in São Paulo: that clears the federal R$ 1,518, but it falls under both the SP state band (R$ 1,640–2,500) and the CCT for the segurança category (around R$ 1,800), so the contract is irregular.

How high the CCT floor goes really depends on the category and the region. Looking at 2024 figures, medical CCTs reach R$ 6,000+ for a junior physician on a 20h week. Private security sits around R$ 1,800, commerce in SP comes in near R$ 1,750, and ABC metalworkers land close to R$ 2,400. The states that currently keep their own floor are SP, RJ, PR, RS and SC, each with bands of R$ 1,640–2,500 that vary by occupation group.

Brazilian context: dissídio and hiring

Every year the dissídio coletivo reopens the CCT, and the floor usually gets bumped by INPC plus a real gain. HR teams and accountants check this number before they draft a CLT contract, because paying below it leaves the employer open to TRT lawsuits and back-pay. The rule reaches small employers too: a MEI hiring its single permitted employee still has to respect the category floor. Being a MEI doesn't get you out of labor law.

FAQ

Which floor prevails if all three exist? Whichever is highest. The federal minimum is the absolute floor, the state floor takes over when it is higher, and the CCT trumps both when it is higher than either.

Does the floor include benefits? No. The floor is the cash base salary. VR, VT and health insurance sit on top of it and follow their own rules.

What if my category has no CCT? Then the state or federal minimum applies. It is worth checking the sindicato laboral for your occupation first, since almost every CLT activity in Brazil ends up covered by some CCT.